Storage of energy due to an explosion



G. CONSTANTINESCO AND J. R. MIDDLETON.

STORAGE 0F ENERGY DUE T0 AN EXPLOSION.

APPLICATION FILED 050:2, 191s.

1,338,676. Patented May 4, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M M15@ ATTORNEY G. CONSTANTINESCO AND J. R. IVHDDLETON.

STORAGE 0F ENERGY DUE T0 AN EXPLOSION. i

APPLICATIKON FILED DEC. 2, 1918.

Patented May 4, 1920. EETS-SHEET 3.

lf/QM ATTORNEY G. CDNSTANTINESCO AND J. R. MIDDLETDN.

STORAGE OF ENERGY DUE T0 AN EXPLOSION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2| 1918.

Patented May 4,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

GEORGE CONSTANTINESCO, F ALPERTON,` AND JOHN RICKARDS MIDDLETON', OF

LONDON, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

4Application led December 2, 1918. Serial No. 265,061.

. To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, GEORGE CONSTAN- TINEsco, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Westoe, Stanley avenue, Alperton, inl the county of Middlesex, England, and JOHN RICKARDS MIDDLE'roN, D. S. O., a subject of the King of Great' Eritain and Ireland, and residing at Victory House, Cockspur street, London, S. W. 1, England, have invented certain new and useful Storage of` Energy Due to an Explosion, of which the followlng is a speciication.

The object of the present invention is to obtain storage of energy by acting on liquids by means of explosives. The inventionis specially applicable to the production of a silent and viiashless gun or howitzer for iring heavy projectiles.

It has already beenproposed to fire projectiles by the energy of compression of a liquid, thel compression being obtained by the use of a suitable pump or the like. This entails the provision of a comparatively large pumping unit and considerable .time in storing the energy. One of the inconveniences of ordinary guns firing lheavy projectiles with relatively small charges of explosives is the suddenness of the pressure on the projectile which may producethe premature explosionof the projectile before Y it leaves the gun. Another inconvenience isthe non-accuracy of the lire with such guns on account probably of the fact that the" leakage ofthe gases under the high pressure created by the propellant is not constant for each shot; this being the case and the amount of charge being relatively sm'al1,`.a

considerable relative difference would occur in\ the value of the mean pressure on the projectile. ing the high pressures which are produced y in a gun barrel that arly slight difference in the fit of the' projectile in the barrel .will [produce a considerable difference in the leakage of the gases past the projectile as this passes up the barrel. 2 The result of this will be that the pressure behind the projectile when at a .g

and nterposing between this piston and the- Apressure on the It will be obvious on consideriven pointl along the, length of the barrel will be different withv projectile a relatively large volume of liquid, acting as a cushion between the projectile and the charge. The volume of l1qu1d between the projectile and the piston should be suliciently large to absorb by its elastic compressibility the shock imparted by the propellant to the piston.

The operation of such an arrangement is as follows: Y Suppose an adequatecharge of, say, cordite, 1s fired .in the firing cylinder; behind the piston. This will develop high pressure on the piston which will b'e vigorously accelerated .against the liquid volume behind the projectlle. The pressure in the liquid will thus increase, following the known law of elasticity of liquids, and the projectile will be acted on by pressures distributed over a longer period of time'than would be the case if the charge of cordite were fired directly behind the projectile without interposltion of the liquid cushion.

If desired, a non-return valve can be interposed in the path ofthe liquid from the plston to the liquid volume in the gun. ln this case the liquid will be trapped in the gun barrel'under high pressure, elastically compressed and the acceleration of the rojectile will take place in a still longer tlme. The projectile may be held against the pressure of the liquid and released at will or automatically by any suitable device, for ex ample, a shearing disk or shearing pin or a balanced piston attachedtof'the projectile or the projectile itself made as a balanced piston and released by the shearing of the disk or the pin, or by outbalancing the pistonprojectlle by a suitable communication of leaving side of it, as already proposed.

The invention can be applied to other purposes, for examplefor obtaining storage of liquid under` high. pressure compressed elasticallyjn a'bottle from which it can be used, for example, for actuating hydraulic machines, hydraulicst'artersv for engines, etc.' The liquid used may be oil, water or any liquid or equivalent. y

It is to be noted'that the inertia of the firing piston may' be arranged to play an f important factor 1n com'ressing the liquid even after the pressure o the propellant has from leaking from the firing piston into the liquid through the clearance between the piston and cylinder and to provide at the for utilizing and storing the power of an? explosive. It Vobviates the necessity for heavy pumps and prime movers in order to store energy in potential form in li uid bottles, so as to be immediately ready or practical use.

Referring to the accompanying drawings :f-

Figure 1 is a section of a bomb .thrower constructed according to the invention; while Fig. 2 is a section of a modified form.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 an end elevation; and

Fig. 5 a plan of a multiple bomb thrower constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 6 is a section showing the compression chamber of this machine; and

Fig. 7 is a section showing one of the bomb throwers. l

Fig. 8 shows the application of the invention to a motor starter.

In' carrying the invention into effect as illustrated in Fig. 1, the chamber a is filled with liquid at atmospheric pressure. Within this chamber there is provided a piston b which prevents gases from the combustion chamber o from entering the liquid space.

At the forward end of the chamber a thereV is provided a piston 0l which may be held in the position for firing by a shearing pin e.

At the rear end of the bomb thrower there is provided a firing pin f which, when released, strikes against a 'cordite cartridge g and detonates the charge. rIhe gases formed by the explosion act on the piston b which moves forward compressing the liquid in the` chamber a. The expansion of the liquid acts on the piston d forcing'this forward and thus throwing a bomb carried .on the piston in any suitable manner.

In the modifica-tion shown in Fig. 2, the operation is similar to that above described, but the breech h is of the ordinary Hotchkiss'type.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 to 7, two bomb throwers 1, 2 are shown connected to a singlev compression chamber 3. The compression chamber 3 and the cylinders 4 of the bomb throwers are filled with liquid,

for example, water, through the non-return valve 5, and when .it is ,desired to fire the bombs thls is effected simultaneously jby firing the cartridge 6. The explosion forcesY ythe piston 7 forward, compressing the liquid' in front of it and also compressing the li uid in the cylinders 4 of the bomb thrower. he pistons 8 of these bomb throwers are thus forced forward throwing the bomb which rests on cups 9 and blades 10. When the piston 7 has been forced forward by the explosion it uncovers a vent 12 allowing the gases to escape from the breech.

In the application of the invention to motor starters, as shown in Fig. 8, the gases formed by the explosion of the cartridge 14 act on 'the piston 15 which compresses liquid through the non-return valve 16 into the chamber 17. This chamber communicates through. pipe 19 with a ratchet'motor 18 and the expansion of the liquid in the chamber 17 forces down the hollow piston 10 of the ratchet motor 18. During the downward movement the pawl 20 engages with the ratchet wheel 21 which is connected to the engine shaft. On vthe return movement y which is effected by the spring 22, the projection 23 on the pawl comes in contact with the frame 24, releasingl ythe pawl from the ratchet wheel.

It will be seen that many other applications of the invention besides those above described are possible.

Having now described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A system for utilizing and storing the energy of an explosive which consists in firing the explosive behind a piston, causing the pressure vof the gases produced by the explosion behind-the piston to compress a liquid whose pressure and yexpansion are utilized to obtain motion, utilizing the pressure and expansion of the liquid to move a. Y

tion, said second pistonpreventing `the escape of the liquid from the cylinder.

3. In combination, a casing provided with a propellingmember, pistons located in the casing, means for firing-an explosive behind'y A one of the pistons, and a body of liquid located between the pistons and arranged to be compressed by one of said pistons when the explosive is fired for moving the, propelling member.

4. combination as defined in claim 3 having means` for permitting the exit of gases after one of the 'pistons yhas been moved by the explosive.

iai

5. In combination, a casing provided With a propelling member, pistons located in the casing, -means for firing an explosive behind one of the pistons, and a body of liquid 5 located between the pistons and arranged to be compressed by one of said pistons when.

the explosive is red, said body of liquid functioning to prevent the escape of the ex- 

